Accused animal killer faces up to life in prison for crimes committed in Martin and Palm Beach counties | Photos

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Evidence photograph from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s investigation into four Martin County men accused of animal killings, burglary, arson and other crimes. To see more photos, go to TCPalm.com

MARTIN COUNTY — An accused animal killer faces up to life in prison after wildlife officials charged him with committing crimes that include armed burglary and arson.

Stuart resident Justin Darella, 21, changed his plea Friday morning at the county courthouse from not guilty to no contest before Martin Circuit Judge Elizabeth Metzger, said Assistant State Attorney Ted Roodhof, who is prosecuting the case.

Darella was arrested Sept. 19 on a warrant and charged with the following felonies: second-degree arson, unlawful taking of an alligator, armed burglary of a dwelling, criminal mischief greater than $1,000 in damage, two counts of grand theft of a firearm and burglary of a structure with more than $1,000 in damage.

He could get up to life in prison because the armed burglary count is a first-degree felony, Roodhof said. Darella's sentencing is scheduled for March 12.

Darella made no statements in court Friday other than to answer the court's questions, Roodhof said. Darella's plea agreement required he plead open to the court, which means it will be up to Metzger to decide if Darella should go to prison and for how long.

Roodhof said he'll recommend Darella should be incarcerated.

"I think his crimes, they were just malicious in nature," Roodhof said. "He did the variety of the things he did in terms of stealing items from somebody's car in a parking lot to burning down (an FWC) building there's no rhyme or reason for what he did."

Facebook photographs and posts about illegally killed alligators, hogs and deer helped lead wildlife officials to catch four Martin County men, including Darella, linked to several crimes committed in the DuPuis Wildlife and Environmental Area and the Hungryland Wildlife Management Area in Martin and Palm Beach counties since early 2013.

Roodhof said the social media website, along with anonymous tips and witness interviews, helped officials prove their case.

He also said Darella's Facebook posts proved a cold and callous attitude.

"I've seen the photos and statements, and he doesn't show remorse for anything he did," Roodhof said. "He was bragging about what he did."

And he said taking wildlife illegally "interferes with legitimate hunter's rights and other people's rights to use that property."

THE INVESTIGATION

According to FWC officials, not only did the four men not have state licenses or permits to hunt in wildlife management areas, but they also were hunting at night, which is illegal in those areas.

In February last year, an anonymous caller told FWC dispatchers Darella and Stuart resident William Roberts, 21, had been going to the DuPuis area to shoot deer illegally usually after 10 p.m., according to an FWC report.

The caller said the men were bragging about killing six deer in one night.

Two months later, FWC officers received a complaint about several alligators found dead in the DuPuis area off Powerline Grade, according to the report.

Officers found eight dead alligators in the canal and were able to see all had been shot in the head.

After searching the canal bank for evidence, officers found shell casings and a rope with a large hook attached among other items, according to the report.

Officers sent the heads of two alligators to Busch Wildlife Sanctuary in Jupiter where X-rays confirmed bullets inside them.

Less than a week later, FWC officers learned from an official at the DuPois area about 18 dead alligators found at the southeast end of the area with their heads and tails intact the same way as the others, according to the report.

Two days later, officers responded to the area on a report of more alligator killings, according to the report. They found five dead alligators and one wounded alligator that had been shot in the left eye and was swimming in circles.

Because of low visibility, they had to return the next day and found the wounded alligator was dead.

FACEBOOK PROFILES

Officers began looking at Darella's and Roberts' Facebook profiles, according to the report. Most photographs were private, but their profile photographs were publicly accessible.

Darella's Facebook profile photograph was of him holding a firearm next to a canal with Roberts behind him wading in the water and holding a long pole. Officers were able to confirm the location in the photograph was the same as where the dead alligators were found.

In May last year, officers obtained a search warrant to Facebook Inc., for data from Darella's and Roberts' Facebook accounts, according to the report.

Darella's Facebook account showed he had been involved in illegal hunting activities on 19 different occasions.

"Drinking beer and wasting bullets" and "Successful night of hunting I'd say so!!!!" were some of Darella's Facebook status updates.

"Ready to put a dent in the population of wildlife this evening" and "bending the rules and breakin the law proud to be in a bad news crowd" were some of Roberts' status updates.

Also, officers were able to use data embedded in Facebook photographs and posts to learn the date and time the image was taken, the Internet provider address used to upload the image and GPS coordinates.

During interviews in August, Darella admitted he, Roberts and Hobe Sound resident Dalton Sloan, 21, stole items from the Hungryland area game check station and set fire to the building to cover up any evidence, according to the report. He also confessed to stealing two shotguns from his neighbor's garage in 2011.

Roberts was charged with felonies second-degree arson and burglary of a structure with more than $1,000 in damage. Sloan was charged with felonies criminal mischief greater than $1,000 and being an accessory after the fact.

Officers also charged Stuart resident Brack Platt, 20, with felony unlawful taking of an alligator. His charged was later reduced to a misdemeanor.